Evidence map›Paper›PMID 24972084›Full record

Trial reportPloS one2014

No evidence that MDMA-induced enhancement of emotional empathy is related to peripheral oxytocin levels or 5-HT1a receptor activation.

Kim P C Kuypers, Rafael de la Torre, Magi Farre, Samanta Yubero-Lahoz, Isabel Dziobek, Wouter Van den Bos, Johannes G Ramaekers

Open access · goldAbstract readClinical Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in PloS one, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 49 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
49citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
11.6field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

49 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 87 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  6. MDMA enhances positive affective responses to social feedback.Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England) · 2024
    Trial
  7. Direct comparison of the acute effects of lysergic acid diethylamide and psilocybin in a double-blind placebo-controlled study in healthy subjects.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2022
    Trial
  8. Effects of MDMA on attention to positive social cues and pleasantness of affective touch.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2019
    Trial
  9. MDMA Increases Cooperation and Recruitment of Social Brain Areas When Playing Trustworthy Players in an Iterated Prisoner's Dilemma.The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience · 2019
    Trial
  10. Trial
  11. Trial
  12. Effect of Psilocybin on Empathy and Moral Decision-Making.The international journal of neuropsychopharmacology · 2017
    Trial
  13. LSD Acutely Impairs Fear Recognition and Enhances Emotional Empathy and Sociality.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2016
    Trial
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  15. Review
  16. Review
  17. Review
  18. Review
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  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 5 institutions in 3 countries.

Kim P C KuypersDept. of Neuropsychology & Psychopharmacology, Fac. of Psychology & Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
Rafael de la TorreIMIM- Hospital del Mar- Research institute, Human Pharmacology & Clinical Neurosciences Research Group, Barcelona, Spain.
Magi FarreIMIM- Hospital del Mar- Research institute, Human Pharmacology & Clinical Neurosciences Research Group, Barcelona, Spain.
Samanta Yubero-LahozIMIM- Hospital del Mar- Research institute, Human Pharmacology & Clinical Neurosciences Research Group, Barcelona, Spain.
Isabel DziobekCluster of Excellence Languages of Emotion, Freie Universität, Berlin, Germany.
Wouter Van den BosCenter for Adaptive Rationality (ARC), Max-Planck-Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany.
Johannes G RamaekersDept. of Neuropsychology & Psychopharmacology, Fac. of Psychology & Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
Maastricht University · NLMunicipal Institute for Medical Research · ESFreie Universität Berlin · DEHospital Del Mar · ESMax Planck Society · DE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The present study aimed at investigating the effect of MDMA on measures of empathy and social interaction, and the roles of oxytocin and the 5-HT1A receptor in these effects. The design was placebo-controlled within-subject with 4 treatment conditions: MDMA (75 mg), with or without pindolol (20 mg), oxytocin nasal spray (40 IU+16 IU) or placebo. Participants were 20 healthy poly-drug MDMA users, aged between 18-26 years. Cognitive and emotional empathy were assessed by means of the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test and the Multifaceted Empathy Test. Social interaction, defined as trust and reciprocity, was assessed by means of a Trust Game and a Social Ball Tossing Game. Results showed that MDMA selectively affected emotional empathy and left cognitive empathy, trust and reciprocity unaffected. When combined with pindolol, these effects remained unchanged. Oxytocin did not affect measures of empathy and social interaction. Changes in emotional empathy were not related to oxytocin plasma levels. It was concluded that MDMA (75 mg) selectively enhances emotional empathy in humans. While the underlying neurobiological mechanism is still unknown, it is suggested that peripheral oxytocin does not seem to be the main actor in this; potential candidates are the serotonin 2A and the vasopressin 1A receptors. Trial registration: MDMA & PSB NTR 2636.

Indexed as

AdolescentAdultEmotionsEmpathyFemaleHumansInterpersonal RelationsMaleN-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamineOxytocinPindololPlacebo EffectReceptor, Serotonin, 5-HT1ASubstance-Related DisordersSurveys and QuestionnairesYoung AdultN-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamineOxytocinPindololReceptor, Serotonin, 5-HT1A

Identifiers

PMID24972084
PMCPMC4074089
OpenAlexW2127572868

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.